The Arctic Redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni), known in North America as the Hoary Redpoll, is a bird species in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in tundra birch forest. It has two subspecies, C. h. hornemanni (Greenland or Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll) of Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada, and C. h. exilipes (Coues's Arctic Redpoll), which breeds in the tundra of northern North America and Eurasia. Many birds remain in the far north; some birds migrate short distances south in winter, sometimes travelling with Common Redpolls.
The Greenland race is a very large and pale bird, with the male sometimes described as a "snowball", but both forms are pale with small beaks, white rumps and often more yellow than grey-brown tones in their plumage. The females are more streaked on their breasts, sides and rumps, but are still pale.
The binomial commemorates the Danish botanist Jens Wilken Hornemann.
The phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.
Famous quotes containing the word arctic:
“Nature confounds her summer distinctions at this season. The heavens seem to be nearer the earth. The elements are less reserved and distinct. Water turns to ice, rain to snow. The day is but a Scandinavian night. The winter is an arctic summer.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)